Pizza Cook / Chef / Maker
Salary

Pay for Pizza Cooks in the United States sits in the ballpark of $8.85 per hour. Compensation ranges from $7.29 per hour on the lower end to $12.28 on the higher end. Residence is the biggest factor affecting pay for this group, followed by years of experience and the individual firm. Most Pizza Cooks are fairly content with their jobs, and work satisfaction falls in line with the national average. Male Pizza Cooks are far more common among survey respondents than their female counterparts, who typically comprise less than one-third of the field. Nearly one-eighth get medical and dental insurance, and less than one in ten get vision plans, too. The data for this snapshot was collected from individuals who took PayScale's salary survey.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

Because pizzas typically involve a wide variety of ingredients, the pizza cook should expect to do a great deal of preparatory work sch as cutting and portioning vegetables, preparing cheeses, and slicing meats. Additionally, many restaurants will require the pizza chef to work to create a variety of sauces, from the familiar tomato sauce to other sauces centered around herbs, oils, and other ingredients. If a restaurant makes its pizza dough from scratch, the pizza maker may also assist with preparing dough.

The pizza cook must carefully follow all standards regarding recipes and pizza creation. Because of the various times that different ingredients take to cook, it is important for the pizza cook to pay close attention to portioning for each pizza. Because pizza ovens tend to be extremely hot, the cook also must be careful about handling pizzas and any utensils, baking sheets, and pans used. An important aspect of the pizza chef's job is quality control. A pizzeria depends on a pizza maker using fresh ingredients and ensuring pizzas are neither overcooked nor undercooked.

Pizza cook positions typically do not require specific educational requirements, and previous experience is valued by employers. Pizza cooks are typically persons who have worked in some other kitchen capacity in a restaurant and are familiar with preparatory work and food preparation.

Pizza Cook / Chef / Maker Tasks

Assist with special orders and when other work stations fall behind.

Maintain a hygienic work station, rotate ingredients, and clean equipment and pizza ovens.

Prepare ingredients, sauce and dough and assemble pizzas according to standards and orders.

Pizza Cook / Chef / Maker Job Listings

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Popular Employer Salaries for Pizza Cook / Chef / Maker

Employees at Pizzahut take home the smallest paychecks, and $16K is the median salary. Furthermore, range in pay is narrow, with salaries starting at $15K and quickly nearing the top at only $21K.

Pay by Experience Level for Pizza Cook / Chef / Maker

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

For Pizza Cooks, experience does not seem to be a major factor in determining pay. Although individuals who have less than five years' experience earn $18K on average, people with five to 10 years benefit from a notably larger average of $21K. After working for 10 to 20 years, Pizza Cooks make a median salary of $24K. Pizza Cooks who have acquired more than two decades of experience generally do see greater compensation; their average income is approximately $27K.